Give me a chance
by Thynerdgurl
Summary: Title up for debate, 2012 AU. Katniss is a sophmore at Franklin high school in Seattle, Washington. Peeta was taken by Delly and sent to Garfield high school. What will happen when Delly and Peeta transfer to Franklin. I don't own any of these locations or people. Rated M for future lemons.
1. Back to school

**Disclaimer: I own NOTHING from this story!**

* * *

Back to school

* * *

Sunday, August 5th, 2012. 11:30 A.M.

* * *

The yellows and reds contrast and cause the thundering against my skull to become a thousand times worse. The music, laughter and shiny surfaces aren't doing anything to help either. I'm brought back to real life when a French fry gets flicked at my face, the salty potato hanging limp from the hand resting on my face.

"Quit it Finn." I mumble, annoyed. I glance around the McDonalds to see all the familiar faces of our former classmates.

"Wow, you really aren't a morning person." Annie concludes, rubbing my back gently. I shrug and take a sip of the Dr. Pepper sitting in front of me.

"So guys," Finn begins, with a mischievous grin on his face. "Guess who's transferring from Garfield." He continues. I shrug again and go to put a fry in my mouth. "Peeta." The fry drops from my hand and into my lap, my mouth and eyes wide open.

"W-what?" I manage to mutter. Peeta had gone to middle school with all of us but was in the line for a different high-school. He used to be within our friend group but once Delly Cartwright dug her claws into him he was pulled away from us for the last half of eighth grade, I never forgave her for stealing one of my best friends. "Seriously?" I ask, getting excited.

"Yeah." Finn says like it's nothing. "So is…_she._" He shudders after saying 'she' telling me he's talking about Delly. I groan and slouch back into my seat, taking my cheeseburger with me to eat it half under the table.

"Maybe she's changed." Madge suggests, always seeing the brightest in people. Even when she got teased all of last year, being called 'brace face' and 'metal mouth' she blamed it on herself.

"Doubt it." Johanna mumbles, stabbing her chicken nuggets with a spork. Gale rolls his eyes and grumbles before getting up to head to the bathroom.

We spend the rest of the meal sitting in silence.

* * *

Thursday, September 6th, 2012. 1:00 pm.

* * *

Orientation is a time where we get to see our old friends and new classmates. The blank, dreary walls of Franklin High School do nothing to excite the new freshmen. I pull my purse farther over my shoulder as I scan the crowd for a familiar face. The halls are filled with blank faces; small circles of people block the stairways and some of the doorways. In less than a second I'm lifted off the ground and slung over a shoulder, my face smashing into whoever picked me up's butt. I look up in time to see a flash of hair.

"Finnick! Put me down!" I struggled to keep my voice from breaking into giggles.

"No way, sweetheart." He joked, knowing I hate when my uncle calls me that. I began screaming and pounding my fists on his back, kicking his chest when he chuckled at my pathetic attempt to get rid of him.

Finally he put me down on a chair in the cafeteria at our table from last year. I cross my arms over my chest and pout; he ruffles my hair when I scowl at him.

"Glad to see happy Catnip." Gale's voice drips with teasing sarcasm. "Here," He shoves a green piece of paper at me. "We got your schedule." I open the paper to see my six new jail-cells for the year.

Period 1 – Geometry – Mr. Brutus

Period 2 – Biology – Mr. Abernathy

Period 3 – Choir – Mr. Felvin

Period 4 – World History – Mr. Chaff

Period 5 – Language arts – Mrs. Felvin

Period 6 – French – Ms. Trinket

My face fell when I saw my uncle's name for Biology, and his girlfriend's name for French.

"Tough luck." Finnick laughed over my shoulder, I jabbed my elbow back, hitting him in the stomach, getting a good 'oomph' out of him.

"Do I have any classes with any of you?" I asked, hoping for an escape from hell.

"Gale and I have Biology with you." Finnick offered, still rubbing his stomach.

"I also have the same French as you." Gale told me, smiling a bit. I nodded and pointed to the rest of the table.

"I have Biology, History, Choir and French with you!" Madge grinned, revealing baby-blue braces.

"I have Geometry and Language arts with you and Johanna." Annie Said with a faint smile. And that was it, later I found that Thresh had Geometry with us as well.

* * *

Friday, September 7th, 2012. 7:55 Am.

* * *

As we were going around seeing where our classes are I notice a bubbly blonde head of hair turning the corner. She stopped when she saw us, her jaw dropping and her eyes glaring. Her perfect blonde curls bounced as she stomped her foot and entered the same Geometry class Thresh, Annie and Johanna were headed to. I groaned and entered the class I knew I'd hate.

As soon as we entered I saw her leaned over a seat, flipping her hair and flirting like there was no tomorrow. I looked up to the seating chart to see that I was to sit next to the seat she was leaned over. I hauled my bag over to the seat and sat down, heaved a sigh and sunk into my chair.

"Eugh!" The rude noise erupted from Delly's throat as she looked over me. "Can you, like, move?" She asked in the voice that made me want to kill someone, a.k.a. her normal voice. I turned to her to deliver a snide remark as Annie, Johanna and Thresh sat around me.

"No, not unless you like, change the seating chart." I said, mimicking her voice and flipped my braid over my shoulder to mock her. Before I turned to face Annie I meet the eyes of the boy she was leaned over, giving him a clear shot down her shirt. His impossibly blue eyes looked at me with a mixture of emotions; I got a sinking feeling in my stomach before turning curtly. Annie was giggling and Johanna was smirking, Thresh's face remained neutral.

"I can't believe you actually did that!" Annie whispered excitedly. I smirked at her and nodded, feeling pretty triumphant.

"Alright!" Mr. Brutus called out, interrupting everyone's conversations. "Take your seats and we shall begin!" He finished, stepping up to the front of the room.

* * *

"Psst!" A voice came from behind me. "Katniss!" The deep rumbling of Thresh's whisper caught me off guard.

"What?" I whispered back. A folded note then fell onto my desk.

"Read it." He replied quietly. I unfolded the paper and looked over his neat handwriting.

_He's staring at you._

What? It took me about two seconds to realize that he meant the blonde boy next to me. I side-glanced at Peeta to meet his eyes, he quickly looked away and I sighed in annoyance.

_What am I supposed to do about it?_

I wrote back and passed it under the table back to Thresh.

_I don't know, I just thought you should know._

I put the paper in a little pocket in my back and slumped farther into my seat, my long legs stuck out on the other side of the tiny desk. I had always felt uncomfortable as my legs were longer than my torso and my arms never knew where to hang. I guess that served well enough for archery, climbing and _gallivanting_ – as Finnick puts it – through the forest.

Another note fell onto my desk and I turn to glare at Thresh but he shrugs. I look back and open the note.

_Hi :)_

I look to my right to see Peeta smiling at me.

_Hey…_

I tossed it back onto his desk and he quickly opened it.

_How've you been? It's been a while._

His reply made the hair on my neck raise in displaced anger.

_I've been just fine. And yes, it has._

I tried to be curt and distant, to let him know to leave me alone.

"Too long." I heard him mumble. The sound of his voice brought up memories, of him in sixth grade, comforting me after my father's death. I ignore the rest of his notes.

* * *

"Sweetheart!" Haymitch staggers towards me when I enter his classroom. "Why don't you sit up here, in the front?" He patted the seat closest to his desk and I slide in. It wasn't long before Gale sat next to me and Finnick on the other side of him, with Madge behind me. I rolled my eyes when I heard Glimmer's giggling from the doorway. I turned to see her followed by a smirking Cato, a stoic Clove and a neutral Marvel. They all sit in the very back of class while Haymitch propped his feet up onto his desk and pulled out a flask "Free period!" He announced, taking a swig. I smiled and swiveled in my seat to turn to Gale and Finnick.

"Your uncle is so cool." Finnick grinned as he put his notebook away. I chuckled as he put his head on his desk to sleep. Gale grinned and turned to me.

"I saw Peeta, I have math with him." I blurted out. His smile fell and he nodded thoughtfully.

"How was he?" He finally asked after a beat of awkward silence. I avoided his intense gaze, letting my eyes travel around the room. It had projects from former students littered around the walls and little informative blips hung on the ceiling.

"He didn't seem that different." I mumbled, giving up and looking at my hands. "He still seemed kind, I almost feel bad for being so mean to him." In my mind I pulled up images of our lost friend.

"Don't," Gale's voice brought me out of my thoughts. "He left us for her." His voice was strict and firm, telling me exactly what I already knew. I nodded, affirming that I understood him.

"Maybe we should give him another chance." Finnick mumbled from his desk, his head buried in his arms, bronze hair flipped in front of his forehead.

* * *

The choir room was quiet and dark as I entered, Madge following me. I couldn't help my heart leaping out of my chest when I saw Peeta sitting in one of the chairs. Madge's grip on my arm tightened when she saw him too. We made our way to the back of the room. As we sat a man entered the room, he was in a black t-shirt and black skinny jeans, his skin was a dark mocha and his eyes had a thin line of gold eye-liner.

"Hello everybody, I'm Mr. Felvin, but I prefer to be called Cinna." He announced, grinning.

"He's attractive." Madge mumbled. One thing about her was that she was boy-crazy; she went on an hour long rant about cute freshmen boys last Saturday. I rolled my eyes at her.

"Yes but didn't you see the 'Mrs. Felvin' on my schedule?" I asked, giggling a bit, causing Peeta to turn around and give me a lopsided grin. She slides into her seat, pouting before jerking forward again, holding her mouth.

"Stupid braces! I keep cutting my tongue!" she hissed quietly as Cinna continued his beginning of the year speech.

* * *

The room for world history was colorful and had posters of historical figures. I just happened to be seated next to a newspaper article of the death of some terrorist. Madge sat next to me silently and kept her head down as I looked up to see Cato sneering at us, with Peeta seated directly behind him. The desk set-up had an aisle in the middle and the desks facing each other. I rolled my eyes and turned my head to the small doodle I was doing in my book.

Mr. Chaff just happened to be a good friend of Haymitch and visited often enough to call me 'sweetheart' in class and not get hurt. But I could still glare at him when he called out my pet name instead of my real name for roll-call. I had groaned and told him I was here before sliding into my seat until my nose barely touched the desk.

* * *

The second the lunch bell rang I was on my feet and dragging Madge out of that room. We met up with everyone else at the gigantic metal keys in front of the school. They were meant to symbolize 'the keys to our future' but I found them eerie and thought of them as nothing more than a designated meeting spot. I greeted everyone and noted that Finch or Foxface as we call her had joined us as well as the juniors. Gloss and Cashmere were twins who were attached at the hip; they'd be identical if Gloss wasn't a boy. Beetee and Wiress were an Asian couple that had been together since they were freshmen.

We walked through the gym, past the scary P.E. teacher, Enobaria, and to the football field in the back of the school.

The green turf of the field was unnaturally green as we sat on the bleachers. I saw a few boys tossing a football around and kept my eyes trained on them as I noticed that it was Peeta, Cato and Marvel. Delly, Glimmer and Clove were sitting on the stairs leading down to the locker rooms, chatting and giggling.

"Are you going to eat that?" Madge asked, pointing to my sandwich, her face already stuffed with food. I shook my head, suddenly not hungry anymore. She snatched the sandwich and shoved it into her mouth and gave me an innocent look. Without Madge I'd have absolutely no comic relief for my life. Foxface giggled at her antics before turning to join everyone else's conversation. "I know you're staring at him." Madge said quietly, swallowing the last bit of her food. "He's still the same Peeta you know." She put a comforting hand on my shoulder.

"He really is. I spoke to him a bit during break." Annie added, I didn't know she was listening until then.

"I really don't care about him." I mumbled, laying down on the cold metal and closing my eyes to soak up whatever sun Seattle had to offer.

"It seems like you do." Madge said under her breath before they left me alone.

* * *

The language arts classroom had colorful paper all over it; each paper had a quote from a poet or philosopher. In the front of the room was a pregnant woman, her skin was a dark shade, almost Thresh's color, and her hair was a black, frizzy bun on top of her head.

"Welcome, I'm Mrs. Felvin, but I go by Portia." She grinned as us as we all sat down. Annie and Johanna joined me in the back of class. She went on about how Ms. Seeder was to take over the class once her baby was born and that yes, it _is_ Cinna's child.

She seemed like a jolly and joyful woman. She was very animated and I could see how her and Cinna were together.

"I'm about to sucker punch that girl." Johanna mumbled as she glared at the back of Glimmer's head.

"I'm with you on that." I replied. Annie just looked at us nervously and went back to doodling 'Annie Cresta + Finnick Odair' and 'Annie Odair' in her notebook. He liked her, she liked him, yet he didn't have the guts to ask her out, it was frustrating.

I was watching Portia so intently that I didn't notice Peeta trying to get my attention until a good twenty minutes into class. When I finally acknowledged him he smiled shyly and waved. I curtly waved back and turned back to the front of the room.

* * *

What was there to say about Effie Trinket other than her being insane? Having her live in the same house as me was bad enough without her being my French teacher.

"Bonjour classe. Je suis madame Trinket." She greeted us in French. I sat next to Gale in the very back corner of the classroom. She continued to speak in French and Gale turned to me.

"How was Katniss Everdeen's first day as a sophomore?" He asked with a sly smile. I pushed his shoulder playfully and grinned.

"It wasn't half bad." I replied, mimicking his smile. He chuckled and shook his head, tapping his pencil on the table.

"Anyways, Finn is throwing a party tomorrow, you up for it?" He asked. I nodded, knowing how crazy and fun Finnick's parties can get. "Great, see you there." He smirks and turns his attention back to Effie.

* * *

**Hey, so…Feedback is greatly appreciated as I need to know whether I should continue this story or not. Thanks!**

**-Morgan**


	2. Trees and parties

**Thank you to my wonderful Beta GlitterInTheSky!**

* * *

Trees and Parties

* * *

Friday, September 7th, 2012. 6:30 P.M.

The interior of the manor was a soft yellow and blue. He had let her completely take over the decorating, but I wouldn't ever let her near my room.

"Would you like some vegetables with that?" She asked, her blonde hair bounced as she dropped a pile of asparagus on my plate. I made a disgusted face and pushed my plate a bit away from me. Effie had a way of taking my silence as affirmation. "How about you?" she asked as she turned to Prim.

"Oh, yes please Effie." Prim brought her plate to meet the tongs. Effie nodded in approval.

"Ass kisser." Haymitch grumbled, which caused me to giggle.

"Manners!" Effie scolded as she sat down. "Now, we must all thank the Lord for the food on our table." She closed her eyes and took one of Haymitch's hands. I scoffed at her proclamation. It wasn't the 'Lord' that put food on our table; it was hard work and money. She had often chided me for being so un-religious, but I could never find it in me to care.

The rest of our dinner was eaten in an eerie silence. We had always eaten like this since my mother stopped being able to join us, and by stop being able to I mean over-dosed on pain medication. I hated her for it; I had hated my mother since our father's death. It had gotten to the point where I had only called her by her name. To say I was guilty about her death was quite simply a lie.

It was then that I noticed that Prim was clearing the table, she had always done chores as she was used to me not doing them. I got up from the table and went to my room without another word. I closed the door and slipped into bed, fully clothed.

* * *

A simple click at the window was all it took to wake me up. Another click, followed by a third told me what it was. I flung the covers over my legs and ran to the window to lift it up.

"Catnip?" The voice whispered. I grinned into the evening and began to climb out of the window to shimmy down the vines. I land in the grass with a soft thud and look up to see Gale grinning. "Let's go." He whispered, putting his hand on my shoulder to lead us to his car.

We drove to the park a few miles away, it was covered in trees and was our favorite place to be. He parked in the parking lot and we jumped out of the car to run to the usual tree. I lifted a branch to reveal six figures.

"I thought you guys would never make it!" Finnick takes a drag from the rolled paper in his hand. The smell in the air is the sickly sweet smell of weed. I rolled my eyes as I saw Johanna holding one towards me. Madge was the only one of us who had never smoked. "So, I invited someone new today." Finn smirked as I shimmied up the tree to sit on my usual branch.

"Who?" Gale asked, taking the joint from Johanna and going to stand next to Thresh. Annie and Madge climbed up the tree to join me while Jo stayed on the ground.

"You'll find out." Finnick answered suspiciously. Just then the tree branches rustled and pulled about to reveal a red head and two blondes. "Hey guys!" Finn greets Finch and the twins.

"Beetee and Wiress are on a date so they can't make it." Cashmere said with a flip of her hair. She and Gloss's arms were locked as usual and they walked in unison.

"Ooh!" Gale mocked "Big surprise." He teased Finnick who rolled his eyes and told us to wait.

A few minutes later the tree branch moved again and another blonde head poked in.

"Man, you made it!" Finnick cheered as he bumped the new-comer's fist. From my vantage point in the trees I couldn't see who it was.

"Yeah," the guy said, immediately telling me who he was. "Where's Katniss?" He asked, confirming my assumption. Finnick pointed up and the boy looked up and I was met with a pair of sparkling blue eyes. "Hey." He called up with his lop-sided grin.

"Hi." I replied with a stoic face. He chuckled and turned back to Finnick as the idle chatter began again. I closed my eyes and rested my head against the rough bark of the tree until I heard 'whooping' from everyone. I cracked an eye open to see Thresh had pulled out a 50's style boom box and cranked the volume. This is kind of a tradition where everyone had different songs on the tape Thresh played and we'd sing them solo. I usually would refuse to sing but with the scent of weed hanging thick in the air I felt like it. And of course the first one was all mine.

I hopped down from the branch as the beginning piano began.

"Go Catnip!" Gale shouted as I leaned against the tree and began to sing with the tape.

_I'm the kinda girl who doesn't say a word,  
Who sits at the curb and waits for the world  
But I'm about to break out, about to break out  
I'm like a crook tonight_

_I caught you staring at me and I was thinking clearly_  
_And now I'm like a bee and I'm huntin' for the honey_  
_And I'm kinda shy but you're super fly yeah I could be your kryptonite_

_Like ohh ohh ohh_  
_Light my heart up baby like a matchstick_  
_Ohh ohh ohh_  
_And hit the gas quick_

_Ready or not_  
_Here I come_  
_Where you at?_  
_The night is young_  
_In the crowd the music's loud but I will find you_  
_Ready or not_  
_Here I come_  
_I like your face_  
_Do you like my song?_  
_Just sing it la la la la la la and I'll find you_  
_Ready or not_  
_Ready or not_

_Hello my name is..._  
_Nice to meet you_  
_I think you're famous_  
_Where have I seen you?_  
_You'll be my William, I'll be your Kate_  
_Livin' like a fairytale_  
_We could have a palace right next to Oprah_  
_37 cars and a yacht down in Boca_  
_Take me away whereever you say_  
_Yeah we could be setting sail_

_Like ohh ohh ohh_  
_Light my heart up baby like a matchstick_  
_Ohh ohh ohh_  
_And hit the gas quick_

_Ready or not_  
_Here I come_  
_Where you at?_  
_The night is young_  
_In the crowd the music's loud but I will find you_  
_Ready or not_  
_Here I come_  
_I like your face_  
_Do you like my song?_  
_Just sing it la la la la la la and I will find you_  
_Ready or not_  
_Ready or not_

_Ready or not here I come here I come_  
_You're like a breath of fresh air in my lungs_  
_You and me dance from the night to the dawn_  
_Ready or not here I come boy it's on_

_Ready or not here I come here I come_  
_You're like a breath of fresh air in my lungs_  
_You and me dance from the night to the dawn_  
_Ready or not here I come boy it's on_

_Ready or not_  
_Here I come_  
_Where you at?_  
_The night is young_  
_In the crowd the music's loud but I will find you_  
_Ready or not_  
_Here I come_  
_I like your face_  
_Do you like my song?_  
_Just sing it la la la la la la and I'll find you_

_Ready or not (You're like a breath of fresh air in my lungs)_  
_Ready or not (Here I come, ohhhh)_  
_Ready or not_  
_Ready or not_  
_Ready or not_  
_Ready or not_  
_Boombada Boombada Boombada_  
_Ready or not!_

As I finished I noticed people staring at me slack-jawed.

"What?" I asked innocently. Of course, the last time I sung in front of others my dad was alive. I went back up the tree but sat further up than usual; I pulled my jacket tight around my body and willed myself not to cry. I was just vaguely aware of Peeta's song, which we usually skipped, being sung. I looked down to see Peeta and Finnick dancing and singing to 'Heart Skips a Beat' by Olly Murs. The smiles on their faces both crushed my heart and caused the corners of my lips to tug upwards.

"Hey, you okay?" Gale asked from behind me, I'd be scared if he wasn't the only person in the world who could sneak up on me.

"Yeah," I replied quietly, I wiped at my eyes and stifled a sniffle. He placed his hand on my shoulder and I could feel another pair of eyes on us, I assumed they belonged to Peeta as I rested my head into Gale's neck.

"Don't cry." He whispered into my hair as he stroked my back. "It'll be okay."

* * *

Saturday, September 8th, 2012. 1:30 A.M.

I slipped soundlessly back into my bedroom window to find Prim lying in her bed across the room, snuggled into Buttercup. I hated that cat; I threatened to cook it when we first found it. I sighed and sat on the end of her bed, brushing strands of hair from her face. She and Gale were the only ones who fully understood me.

When my eyes began to droop I made my way over to my bed and slumped into it ungracefully and promptly fell asleep. With the last image that flashed across my mind being Peeta's blue eyes and lop-sided smile.

* * *

When I woke up Prim was humming and brushing her hair.

"Morning little duck." I mumbled groggily. She giggled and greeted me back. I checked the clock to see that it read '7:00 A.M.'. Finnick's party wasn't for another twelve hours. I groaned and hit my head against my pillow, willing time to fast forward, but alas, time never did what I wanted it to. So I dragged myself out of bed and trudged down the stairs for breakfast.

"Didn't you wear that yesterday?" Haymitch asked while peering over the newspaper. I looked down at my apparel and shrugged.

"Yeah," I muttered in response, I slid into a chair and slouched against it as Effie placed a plate of food in front of me. The smell of bacon and eggs was alluring. I began shoveling the food into my mouth, finding exactly how hungry I actually was. Haymitch chuckled at my actions.

"Hungry?" he teased; I rolled my eyes and continued to eat.

* * *

"What the fuck?" Madge flipped her phone side-ways as if that would help her read the text better. I laughed at the faces she made at it.

"What is it?" I asked, curious as to what this text said. She shoved her phone in my face to let me read it.

_Hey pretty girl, you wanna be my date for Finnick's party?_

_-Cato_

I turned my head side-ways to see if I read it right.

"What the fuck is that?" I said, reading it over and over. Why would Cato ask Madge, I thought he was dating Clove?

"I know right?" Madge ranted. "I mean, if he wanted to ask me he should at least call." She groaned and flopped backwards onto her bed while I laughed. She continued to rant about how she didn't get boys and how much she wished she could read minds when she took a sudden turn. "Are you going with Peeta?" she asked, completely serious. I shook my head and looked at my lap to his an inevitable blush.

"Why would you think that?" I wondered out loud.

"Because you two kind of have a whole sexual tension thing building." She replied, and then giggled at the face I made.

"We are not!" I argued, attempting to spare my dignity.

"We'll see about that during truth or dare." She threatened playfully. "Now come on, it's time to get ready." She hopped off her bed and ran to her closet, frantically throwing articles of clothing at me. "This won't do." She mumbled over and over until finally; "A-ha! Here it is!" she walked over to me with an outfit in hand. "Put this on." She ordered, pushing me into the bathroom.

When I finally got into the outfit I found that it was a black, sparkly tank-top and dark skinny jeans. When I exited I found Madge had changed too. She was now in a loose pink cut-off with a black tank-top underneath and a matching pencil skirt.

"Here I am." I said unenthusiastically.

"Now for hair and make-up!" she clapped happily, unfazed by my lack of joy. She pushed me into a chair and promptly unweaves my usual braid. My dark hair fell in waves around my shoulders. "Perfect." She muttered, going to get make-up.

The make-up she applied was black eye liner and smoky grey eye shadow that were supposed to 'bring out my mother fucking cool eyes, as Madge had said.

* * *

"Here we are." Cato said. He had driven us, with Madge accepting his date request. He had been eye-fucking her the entire ride and I was sick of it. I hopped out of the car as quickly as possible and ran to the front door of Finnick's house where Gale stood, smoking a cigarette.

"I thought you were trying to quit!" I scolded, knocking it out of hands with a menacing glare before I pushed past him.

"Chill out Catnip." He put his hand on the small of my back to lead me into the house.

* * *

**Okay, the party will be in the next chapter and I have BIG plans for it…Peeta and Katniss DO NOT get together at the party, that doesn't happen until another MUCH later chapter. Thanks for reading!**


	3. A lost friendship

**An: Thank you to my wonderful beta - who must be so patient to put up with my irregular posting patterns - GlitterInTheSky!**

* * *

**A Lost Friendship**

* * *

Saturday, September 8th, 2012. 7:15 Pm.

* * *

I shrugged Gale's hand off of me as we entered Finnick's massive house.

"Look, please don't be mad at me I'm just stressed." He tried to reason. I pushed him away and wandered into the kitchen to find Annie and Finch pouring drinks into plastic red cups.

"Vodka?" Finch asked, holding a cup out to me. I took it from her and began chugging it back. "Whoa! Slow down." She warned, slurring a bit.

_Wow! She's been here…what? Fifteen minutes? And she's already tipsy?_

I scowled and walked into the living room to seek out other people. The first thing I saw was a blonde girl pinned to the couch with a boy above her. They were making out furiously. The blonde boy on top of her was grinding into her, causing her to moan loudly.

"Seriously guys?" I asked, getting pissed at her. "We JUST got here!" The boy looked up and his ice-blue eyes flashed with sympathy while the girl grimaced.

"Sorry Kitty Kat." Madge apologized as she pushed Cato off of her. "Finnick's parties just get out of hand." She tried to reason.

"Whatever." I mumbled, sitting next to Madge. I then noticed a pair of ocean blue eyes staring at me from across the room where Delly was fawning over him. We locked eyes for what seemed like forever until I noticed Madge and Cato going at it again.

"My room is vacant." Finnick swooped in to tell them with a smirk. Cato nodded and picked Madge up to carry her there.

"Wow, thanks." I told him sarcastically as he jumped over the couch to sit next to me.

"No problem." He grinned smugly. I groaned and settled back into the green couch, taking long sips from my cup. "I see you'd like to get shit-faced pretty quick." Finnick commented, taking in the contents of my cup.

"Yeah." I replied curtly. Annie then stumbled past us, clearly drunk out of her mind.

"Got to go." Finnick jumped from the couch as if it was lit on fire and ran to her side. I sighed, annoyed and took a large sip from my cup. The couch slumped to one side and I looked over to find Gale and Johanna sitting down.

"Hey, Brainless." Johanna greeted with a wicked smile.

"What do you guys want?" I asked, verging on annoyed. Gale held up two fifty dollar bills and smirked.

"Gale's going to pay us each fifty bucks if we make out." Johanna replied. I looked into my cup and gulped the rest back. "You up for it?" she asked. I shrugged and turned to face her. Before I could ready myself her lips were on mine and her hands were at my waist, lowering me onto the arm of the couch. I could hear loud 'whooping' from guys around us. She shoved her tongue into my mouth and began kneading my breasts. I closed my eyes and began to reciprocate it when Johanna's hand inched up my shirt and I pushed her away.

"Okay! That's enough." I panted, trying to process all of that. Gale's jaw was hanging about a foot off the ground as Johanna plucked a fifty from his hand. I took the other reluctantly and looked around to see a ton of tents and slack-jawed teenage boys. Peeta's eyes were the widest in the room, but they were full of sadness and hurt. I got up and hurried out of the room, not being able to look at him again. I busted into the kitchen to see Finnick facing the counter, with a pair of legs wrapped around his waist. It wasn't until I saw a head of wavy brown hair that I spoke up. "Seriously?" I asked them. "What is it with all my friends and mating like, fucking rabbits?" I angrily stomped out the back door into the night air. We'd been here for about an hour and everything had already gone to shit. I sat on the lip of the small fountain of a naked baby pissing water into the base.

"Hey." A soft whisper broke through the silence after about twenty minutes of staring at the stars.

"What?" I asked, turning around to face him. He sat next to me and the look in his eyes was so sincere I almost melted.

"I just wanted to make sure you were okay." He replied quietly. I sighed deeply and shook my head. He wrapped his arm around my shoulders and pulled me into him. I don't know why, but I let him. I rested my head in the crook of his neck and inhaled deeply. He smelled like cinnamon and sugar, he smelled like Peeta. It was his trademark scent from working in the bakery so long. We sat like that for a while before he broke the silence again. "Katniss, I'm sorry." He whispered.

"About what?" I was surprised at how gentle my voice was.

"Everything." Was his reply and I knew what he was talking about. "Delly threw a fit every time I would so much as glance in you guy's direction and my mom…well; you know how she can be." His chuckle was flat and humorless. I nodded and nuzzled farther into the crook of his neck, suddenly aware of how shiny everything was. Maybe I had drunk way too much alcohol.

"It's okay." I replied.

* * *

**Finnick's POV:**

I was collecting cups in the kitchen when I heard soft foot-steps behind me. Small but soft hands circled around me and ran over my torso, which now felt like it was on fire. The girl moaned and I immediately came to the conclusion that I was dreaming, this is something that only happened in my dreams.

"Finnick." She whispered, causing me to shiver. I turned around in her arms and brushed her hair behind her ear. Her green eyes were clouded with a drunken haze and lust.

"Yes Annie?" I asked, my voice shaking. Instead of replying she stood on her toes and brought her lips to mine. It was like my entire body was in an inferno. I wrapped my hand into her hair and returned the kiss. I brought my tongue to her lip, hoping for the best. When she opened her mouth I knew I never wanted to wake-up. She slung one leg up onto my hip and I grabbed both of her thighs, turning to set her on the table. She moaned into the kiss, which fueled me further. Placing my hands on the table I grinded against her, which caused her to cry out and weave her hands through my hair.

"Seriously?" Katniss's agitated voice rang through the room. "What is it with all my friends and mating like, fucking rabbits." She stomped out of the room and I chuckled.

"What's up her ass?" Annie asked against my neck. I shrugged and continued to attack her with my lips.

* * *

**Katniss POV:**

"Guys!" Madge called out into the darkness. "Truth or dare!" her voice broke through the moment and I groaned as I stood up. But Peeta had other ideas; he grabbed my hand and pulled me back down, this time I was practically on his lap.

"You know what's going to happen in there." He half informed and half pleaded. I nodded and stood back up, taking him with me into the house.

As we entered Gale called me over and by his flushed face I could tell he was drunk. As soon as I was within arms reached he pulled me into his lap and giggled like a little kid. I struggled to get out of his arms but this proved futile. I gave up and slumped against his chest, well aware of all the eyes on us, especially Peeta's.

"Alright, let's start this!" Johanna called happily.

"Me first!" Finnick shouted loudly, causing Annie to cringe next to him. He looked around for a few moments before his eyes landed on someone. "Finch!" I let out a sigh of relief. "Truth or dare?" he smirked.

"Oh!" she reeled, startled. "Truth." She said confidently.

"Who in this room would you most likely fuck?" He asked with another smirk as her face turned bright red. "No lies!" he warned. She whispered something into her lap. "Louder." Finnick commanded.

"Thresh!" She practically shouted. Her face quickly turned redder than her hair as she ducked back down. I looked between her and Thresh. The massive boy's eyes were lit in a way I'd never seen, happily. Gale stuck his nose in my hair several times during the game, causing me to attempt to get away from him, but to no avail.

"Gale!" Marvel called. "Truth or dare?" He asked, grinning widely.

"Dare!" Gale shouted back, smirking as well.

"I dare you to kiss Katniss!" Marvel's grin turned wicked.

"No!" Two voices sounded through the room. I recognized one as mine and the others as Peeta's.

"Chill." Marvel protested. "It's just a dare." Before I could argue Gale's lips were on mine. They were cold and forced, not that I had much to compare them to. They were harder then Johanna's and colder than Peeta's. And just like that I was taken back to a locked away memory.

"_I'm nervous about my first kiss." The petite girl admitted as she sat on the boy's bed next to him._

"_So am I." He said softly. "Maybe we could…" He brought his hand up to nervously scratch the back of his neck. "I don't know…practice?" He avoided eye contact with her. She thought about it for a long while._

"_That seems logical." She looked up at him to see a surprised expression in his face._

"_O-okay." He agreed and turned his body toward hers, as she did the same. They both slowly leaned in; the tips of their noses gently grazing as he rotated his head a tiny bit. His lips ghosted over hers, the spark between them was undeniable. She jerked her head forward, pushing their lips together. Their eyes shot open and they flew apart, each holding their lips as the memory of the fire that had erupted between them plagued their minds._

"_Is…is it always like that?" she asked through her hand. He shrugged with wide eyes._

"_Maybe it's just the first time." He suggested. She wanted to test this theory. She placed her hands on his shoulders and brought her lips back to his. The fire raged again, but this time she couldn't find it in her to pull away._

I was brought back to the present, realizing that the lips on mine weren't sparking a fire. I roughly shoved him away and scrambled to the couch to sit with Madge. The look on Gale's face pulled guilt from my stomach, but looking around at everyone else was worse. I stood from the couch and promptly left the house, ignoring the people calling for me to come back. As soon as my feet hit the pavement I was running.

* * *

"How was the party?" Prim asked as I burst through the door, tears were streaming steadily down my face. "Oh! Katniss! What happened?" She asked, running to my side. I bolted up to my room before she could try to comfort me.

* * *

**An: Sorry about my little-to-no updates. I have excuses though! 1. School sucks butt and needs to go die in a pit. 2. I'm sick. 3. I get depressed around this time of year and it puts a real damper on my capabilities.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	4. Is or isn't

**Okay guys! quick apologies: I'm sorry if there are any mistakes in this chapter as it was not Beta'd (I don't know what happened to her) AND! I'm sorry this took so long, my AP classes are killing me!**

**ENJOY AND HAPPY ALL HALLOW'S EVE (God I'm such a dork)**

**BURN THE WITCHES!**

* * *

Is or isn't?

* * *

Sunday, September 9th, 2012. 1:00 Pm.

* * *

"And, like, seriously!" Madge babbled on from the other end of the clothing rack. She had insisted that we go into 'Cross Roads Trading CO.' before we met up with people at the Starbucks on Broadway. Honestly, I wasn't listening to a word she was saying, I only caught tidbits due to my stomach threatening to hop out of my abdomen and do a jig with anxiousness. Finnick had hinted that Peeta would be there. "…I think I'm the only customer who, instead of asking how they'd chew gum with braces, asked if it would hurt the guy I was making out with…" she continued. Unfortunately, the bits I had caught were pretty disturbing. I let my mind –and apparently feet- wander and soon found myself staring at a pair of brown leather boots. "Oh! Those are so cute…And they're in your size! You should get them!" Madge shoved them at me, grinning widely.

"Urm…Okay." I mumbled, a bit lost. Effie had given me money to shop with but I intended on putting it in my savings jar.

"And hurry up! We're going to be late!" She called as she pranced away.

* * *

Standing in line was probably number one on my shit-list, but in order to get a fucking coffee, it was something I had to do. I chanced a glance back at our table to find Finnick and Madge arguing while Annie stared intently into her coffee. Not to mention Peeta trying to avoid Gale's harsh glare. I walked back with a coffee in each hand; I placed them down and slid one over to Gale while sitting next to Madge.

"Hell-to-the-fuck-no pretty boy! You ain't got shit on me!" Madge told Finnick.

"I don't know, I'm pretty sure he could beat you up." Thresh piped in with an amused smile. Madge glared at him and slumped back into her seat. Snickers sounded from around the table as Madge dejectedly sipped her hot chocolate. "You know, acting black won't get you where you think it will." He added, causing another round of laughter and an angry shade of red to cross her face. "Now, Gale, Katniss and I are allowed to embrace the brotherhood!" He smirked. I rolled my eyes at him.

"I'm not joining any 'brotherhood' or 'sisterhood' you have going on in that brain of yours." I told him, taking the fist sip of my latte. Gale didn't comment, he was still glaring at Peeta. "So…" I began awkwardly. "What happened after I left the party?" I asked Madge. Her eyes widened and she looked between Peeta and Gale.

"Major shit." She muttered. "Major as in, bloody noses and angry teenage boys being pulled away from each other." She added quietly, looking at me warily. I glanced at the two boys once more, who were both glaring at each other.

"Urm…Gale!" I called, both head snapped towards me with greatly softened expressions. "How's your hangover?" I asked teasingly. He chuckled and glanced down at his coffee.

"Hurts like shit." He told me. I glanced at Peeta, giving him an apologetic look to make-up for Gale's behavior.

"Tell me about it." Johanna said as she walked through the door of the small café. She smirked and lightly touched Gale's arm. "We can get through this together." She winked and sat down, choosing to ignore a now fuming Madge. The blonde girl's fists hit the table with the force of a jealous teenage girl.

"I'm going to the bathroom." She muttered and abruptly stood to stomp across the room.

Johanna really needed to stop doing that. They were both after Gale, this everyone knew. But they both had different approaches. Johanna would shamelessly flirt with him while Madge would keep her head down and send him shy smiles. I remember a sleepy conversation Madge and I had in Freshman year.

"_If you like him so much, then why do you date other guys?" The dark-haired girl asks her friend as they both avoid sleep._

"_I dunno. I think I'm trying to fill the void." The blonde girl stares at the ceiling wistfully._

"_Void? What void?" The other girl asks, turning her head to face her friend's profile._

"_The void of knowing he'll never be mine." The other girl mumbles, a tear slipping down her cheek. "No one will ever compare to him, or completely replace him." She continues. "But I think some part of me hopes that he'll see me with another guy and get jealous…you know? That maybe then he'll see me." She sniffles quietly and pastes a smile on her face. "All foolish dreams, eh?" she asks, finally turning to face the other girl. Her dark eyebrows furrow in concern._

"_Madge…" the girl sighs, turning back to the ceiling. "That was some deep shit." She mutters. Both girls burst out laughing. But soon the laughter fades and the only sounds are the sobbing girls, clutching each other in the dark, weeping for the loss of hope, and the loss of love._

I shook my head, ridding them of these thoughts. It was a weak moment, one of the only moments I had ever admitted to myself how much I actually needed and missed Peeta. Madge slipped back into her seat quietly, her eyes rimmed in red. I placed my hand on her knee and squeeze, letting her know that I was there for her.

* * *

I watched as Finnick made conversation with Annie ahead of me as we walked. I was vaguely aware that Madge's presence next to me had been replaced with Peeta's. I was only jolted out of my wandering thoughts when Peeta's arm brushed against mine, sending an electric shock through my entire body despite us both wearing coats. I decided to break the silence first.

"So, can you tell me what happened after I left?" I asked, still curious.

"Um." He stalled, rubbing the back of his neck. "There was kind of a fight." He muttered. I looked at him, urging him to go on. "I kind of attacked Gale…" he said, almost in a whisper. I couldn't help but to bark in laughter at that.

"Why?" I asked him. "What'd he do?" I asked with an amused smile on my face.

"He kissed you." At first I wasn't sure I had heard him right, but the blush that crept up his neck and cheeks told me I'd heard him correctly.

"Oh." I murmured awkwardly. I brushed the hair out of my eyes and looked down, feeling heat rising to my own face.

"In here!" Finnick called, pointing to the clothing store called 'Red-Light'. It was a cool store that sold pretty eccentric clothes. We followed him into the brightly colored store to mill around. I looked around at the cooky sun glasses and oddly colored pants until I found myself in the corner of the basement, trying on a Robin Hood hat.

"That looks great on you." Someone whispered in my ear. I spun around, holding onto the hat to be met with bright blue eyes.

"T-thanks." I muttered. It was then that I noticed how close he was, I could feel his breath, and it sent shivers down my spine. My body seemed to work on its own as my tongue darted out to wet my lips and my eyes lingered on his lips. His lips slowly made their way to mine, giving me enough time to back away, but I didn't. The now familiar electric spark ignited as his lips met mine gently, before melding together. I found myself wrapping my arms around his neck as his hands found my waist. With a moan I was pushed against the wall next to a mirror. I opened my mouth to let his tongue; I fisted my hands into his blonde curls in an attempt to pull him closer. We kept making out until a gasp sounded from the aisle. We flew apart to face Annie and Madge. I could feel the heat rising to my face and was sure I looked as disheveled as Peeta with his messy hair and swollen lips.

"Wow…" Madge said in awe before giggling and turning to Annie. "I told you we'd find something over here!" the two burst out laughing and quickly run away. It took me a few moments to process what had just happened. I turned back to Peeta, who had a hopeful expression on his face. As much as I tried to I couldn't come up with a logical response for that being a mistake. We were only in high school so there was no way I could blame my disposition for marriage. Peeta seemed to sense my inner turmoil because he reached out and placed his hand on my cheek.

"You know I'd never hurt you, or leave you." We'd had this conversation before. He knew me well enough to know the whole story behind my hesitation for love and commitment.

"And you know how much I wish I could make up a reason to end this now." I muttered, looking away from him.

"But I won't let you." He said. "I'm not letting you go this time." I looked up into his eyes.

"Katniss!" We were interrupted from Gale shouting from across the room. I took that as my queue and promptly walked away from the conversation. I did feel guilty for leaving him hanging but I also know that I was almost at my breaking point. I just couldn't take all the drama!

* * *

Monday, September 10th, 2012. 8:00 Am.

* * *

I quickly slid into my seat in math, nearly missing the late bell. I sent a small smile over to Annie and pulled out my book. I noticed Mr. Brutus glaring at me but pretended to ignore it as I did the warm-up.

"Pssst." It sounded from my other side. I turned to face Peeta with an expecting face. "I-uh…hadn't planned past getting your attention." He said awkwardly. I couldn't help but giggle a bit and bite my bottom lip as I tried to conceal laughter. His face seemed to brighten at my reaction.

"Peeta, can you help me with this problem?" Delly asked, leaning over her desk to spill her excessive cleavage onto it. Her pout was unattractive but- hey! I wasn't about to tell her so. Peeta sent me one last lingering glance before turning to help the bimbo behind him.

The day couldn't go by fast enough. During lunch I'd sat in Haymitch's room instead of joining my friends on the field. I know I wasn't doing myself any good by dancing around the problem but I wasn't ready to face it. Now, why it was a problem that Peeta and I had feelings for each other was beyond me, it just was!

I argued with myself on this situation for about the entire day. I was attracted to Peeta, yes. Peeta was attracted to me, yes. I had feelings for Peeta, Probably – I didn't want to give myself a headache by trying to figure out this 'feeling' shit. Peeta had feelings for me, yes. Would logic allow me to be with Peeta, apparently not.

"Sweetheart, what's wrong? You're being spacey and aloof…even for you." Haymitch commented as I hopped into the back of the car.

"Wow thanks." I muttered. "Love you too."

"No, seriously." He turned around in his seat to face me, concern lacing his features. "What's up?"

"How do you know when something isn't or is meant to be?" I blurted before thinking, which earned me a strange look from both Effie and Haymitch.

"Whatever do you mean dear?" Effie asked, sending Haymitch a look.

"I mean…" I began again before shaking my head. "Nothing." I muttered, turning to face the window as we drove to TOPS Middle school to pick-up Prim.

Prim hopped into the car with a bright smile before turning to wave to her friends outside the window.

"Did you have fun at school?" Effie asked her. Prim nodded happily and began to chatter non-stop about her day.

With a heavy sigh I felt my head hit the back of the chair.

* * *

**Thank you for sticking with me on that...**

**PLEASE READ THE BELOW!**

**So every five chapters will be a flashback or someone elses point of view so do you guys want a flashback (if so, of what year or event?) or another person't POV (if so, who?)**

**THANK YOU!**

**\/FREE PEETA COOKIES BUTTON\/**


	5. Love somebody

**An: here it is! Guess the POV! Lol, it's super easy (but it starts as a flashback)**

**Musical inspiration: Love Somebody by Maroon 5**

**Thank you to my wonderful beta: Glitterinthesky**

* * *

Love Somebody

* * *

"_Kat!" The boy whispers, hanging onto the window sill for dear life._

"_Peet? What are you doing here?" She asks, hauling him into the room. He flashes her his signature boyish grin._

"_I was lonely and couldn't sleep." He shrugs as if it's a perfectly normal excuse for crawling into someone's window in the middle of the night, but she gets the true meaning. The angry red mark on his face tells the whole story._

"_What happened?" Peeta likes how she always asks that when his brothers ask 'what did you do?' which makes him feel worse._

"_I dropped a plate." He murmurs sadly._

"_Oh, Peeta." She gasps running her hand along his swelling cheek._

* * *

He clutches the picture frame until his knuckles turns white, willing himself not to cry. The way her smile lights up the entire picture draws the hot tears to his eyes anyways. The picture was of him and Katniss, his soccer jersey hanging loosely on her petite frame as she beamed at the trophy he was holding. He had just won the game for the team, the look of pride in their faces was bitter-sweet. It was taken three weeks before Delly stole him away.

* * *

"_Come on Peeta!" she whined, yet again tugging at his shirt._

"_No! I don't want to do this." Peeta protested, pushing the blonde girl off him._

"_Fine." She pouted. "But you owe me Mellark." She warned with a menacing glare._

* * *

Peeta flopped onto his bed, suddenly tired. Images flood his mind, images he isn't exactly proud of. He gets them every once and a while. He figures that when the girl he loves hates him the loneliness takes over. His hand slinks down; slipping under the waistband of his sweatpants, pretending it's her.

"_You want this don't you?" she asks, her eyes hooded and full of lust. He can't do anything but gulp and nod. "Say it." She commands, her voice blowing hot air onto his twitching cock. "I want you to beg for this." She whispers._

"_P-please…Katniss!" he whimpers._

"_Please what, Peeta?" her lips dart out to wet her lips as she cocks her head at him with a playful smirk._

"_I-I need you." He manages, hissing at her hand slowly stroking him. She ceases her hand movements and slowly crawls over him to pepper wet kisses along his jaw and neck._

"_Like this?" she asks, grinding her core against him._

"_Yes!" he calls out, gripping her hips desperately. She lowers herself onto him, torturously slow. Once he fills her completely her head is thrown back as she moans loudly. "Katniss." He growls, bucking his hips involuntarily._

"_Peeta." She calls out, burying her face into his shoulder as she matches his faster pace. He feels the familiar tingling sensation and reaches down to rub small circles onto her clit. He holds back until he feels her clench around him. She screams into his shoulder as she rides out her orgasm, quickly followed by his._

And that's when he notices that he'll probably have to change his underwear and sweatpants.

"Damnit." He mutters under his breath as he gets out of his bed.

When he returns to his bed he rolls over to look at the picture again. He recalls how broken her smile looked last time he saw it, and how it was Gale that had made her smile. With a mournful sigh he screw his eyes closed and falls asleep.

* * *

Friday, September 28th, 2012. 3:00 Pm. **(Katniss's POV)**

* * *

"Kat! What the hell?" Madge squeals.

"Seriously." Johanna adds. Annie quietly nods along.

"What?" I ask angrily.

"You can't wear that!" Madge says as if it's the most obvious thing in the world. I look down at my dark jeans and black sweater.

"What's wrong with what I'm wearing?" I honestly have no clue and they aren't helping. Madge replies by getting off my bed and walking to my closet and tossing a few green and grey articles at me.

"You've got to wear school colors to homecoming game!" Johanna inputs as she hands me my 'I heart FHS' sweater and a green and black plaid skirt.

"Are you guys' crazy?" I ask, looking at the tiny skirt. "It's, like, ten degrees! Seattle isn't some paradise island!" They roll their eyes at my rant.

"Wear it over your jeans." Annie speaks up. She shouldn't be speaking; she looks ridiculous in her band uniform, not to mention Johanna and Madge in their cheerleading outfits. I roll my eyes and put it on anyways.

"Better?" I mutter, half asking.

"Much." Johanna cheers.

"Plus Cinna said to show school spirit." Madge reminded as she re-applied her lip-gloss. I slump back into a push chair; Cinna had signed me up to sing during halftime while the band played "Love Somebody" By Maroon 5.

* * *

"Come on Kat! Let's sit in the front!" Prim pulls me by the arm towards the front row. I follow her reluctantly to where Annie is sitting with Beetee, Wiress and Finch.

"Hey guys." I greet as we sit. I watch as the cheerleaders assemble to do their pre-game cheers. I feel a bit bad for Gloss, being the only male cheerleader and all.

"Here they come!" Annie squeals as the football team fills the field, waving. I spot out Finnick, Gale and Thresh's jerseys and begin cheering with Annie. "Katniss!" Annie whispers over the screams. I turn to her expectantly, she nods towards the cheerleaders where Delly stands in a uniform about two sizes too small, and I thought Glimmer was bad. I barely get a look at the player she'd flirting with when I see the curly blonde hair sticking out from under his helmet.

"Mother of fuck, Annie, why should I care?" I ask a bit more harshly then intended.

"Watch his eyes." She murmurs, ignoring my rude tone. I look back at the pair to see his bright blue eyes searching the stands instead of on her cleavage, he looks like he's looking for-

His eyes stop on mine.

_Mother of fucking flaming balls of shitty ass, more swear words!_

"Fuck." I mutter, avoiding his gaze as Annie begins giggling.

* * *

12 – 24, Chief Seath's asses are being whooped!

"Katniss…"A voice behind me distracts me from the blue eyes boring into my skull. I turn to see Marvel nervously fidgeting with his camera.

"Yeah?" I ask, not knowing why he'd be nervous.

"C-can I get your picture…for yearbook?" he asks hesitantly. I nod, not missing the absolute, pure joy in his blue eyes when I do. I smile at the camera and wait until he clicks the shutter button a few more times.

When I look back to the sidelines I notice that Peeta isn't looking at me anymore…he's glaring at Marvel.

Shit.

* * *

FUCK! IT'S TIME FOR ME TO SING! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK!

"Katniss, we're ready for you." Cinna informs me, to which I nod and follow him.

I stand at the microphone and take a deep breath, listening to the opening bit.

Fuck.

_I know your insides are feeling so hollow And it's a hard pill for you to swallow But if I fall for you, I'll never recover If I fall for you, I'll never be the same_

I imagine myself in a meadow with nothing but an open plain, the breeze and the birds.

_I really wanna love somebody I really wanna dance the night away I know we're only half way there But you take me all the way, you take me all the way I really wanna touch somebody I think about you every single day I know we're only half way there But you take me all the way, you take me all the way_

I open my eyes to see people dancing and gawking. My confidence boosts – much to my dismay – after spotting an adoring pair of blue eyes.

_You're such a hard act for me to follow Love me today don't leave me tomorrow, yeah But if I fall for you, I'll never recover If I fall for you, I'll never be the same_

_I really wanna love somebody I really wanna dance the night away I know we're only half way there But you take me all the way, you take me all the way I really wanna touch somebody I think about you every single day I know we're only half way there But you take me all the way, you take me all the way Oh, oh, oh, oh_

_I don't know where to start, I'm just a little lost I wanna feel like we never gonna ever stop I don't know what to do, I'm right in front of you Asking you to stay, you should stay, stay with me tonight, yeah_

_I really wanna love somebody I really wanna dance the night away I know we're only half way there But you take me all the way, you take me all the way I really wanna touch somebody I think about you every single day I know we're only half way there But you take me all the way, you take me all the way Oh, oh, oh, oh_

_You take me all the way, you take me all the way_

I finish the song as listen to the crowd cheering and clapping. I take a deep breath and practically run back to my seat.

"That was amazing!" Madge runs over from the rest of the cheer-squad.

"Thanks." I mutter, doing a lousy attempt to hide my blush. When I look back up I find two different pairs of blue eyes, one full of adulation, and the other full of envy and rage. "Fuck." I whisper, turning to walk to the concession stand.

"That was amazing." I hear a male's voice say behind me. I turn to see Marvel with a wide blush, fidgeting with his camera again.

"Oh," I murmur, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear. "Thanks." He continues to play with the camera hanging around his neck.

"So, uh…"He begins, his face getting about a million times redder. "I was…urm…wondering if you might want to…uh…go out with me…sometime?" He looks up hopefully. It also happens to be that moment that I realize the boys behind Marvel, Peeta and Gale.

"Sure." I reply, grinning. "I'd love to." The camera movement stops as Marvel's eyes lift to mine in surprise.

"R-really?" he asks. I get it, many guys have asked me out and I've turned them down. I like to think it isn't because of Peeta within ear-shot.

"Yeah." I place my hand on his forearm, creating the desired response of Peeta's jaw clenching and eyes narrowing.

"C-cool…So, can I get your number?" Marvel continues, as if in a dream.

"Definitely." I say, pulling a paper and pen from my bag to write my cell-phone number for him.

"I'll…uh…see you around then." He mutters, still amazed before turning and walking in the other direction.

* * *

"GET DRESSED KATPISS!" Johanna screams. I'm hurrying to put my homecoming dress on.

"I can't believe you guys got me to attend this stupid-ass event!" I spit, zipping up the back of the black dress.

"We're going to be late!" Madge squeals as she finishes her eye make-up.

I take in the girls. Madge's dress is a baby-doll dress in a soft pink, Johanna's dress is bright red and skin-tight, while Annie's is a fluffy loose dress in a deep emerald green. My dress is tight and black on the top while loose and flowing and grey on the bottom.

"Alright then." I say. "Let's go!" We rush out of my house and into Haymitch's car.

"You girls ready?" He asks as the heat begins to warm the Honda Odyssey.

"Yeah!" Johanna pretends to raise the roof in the car.

"Alright then," Haymitch begins. "I want no sex, drugs or alcohol!" he rants as he pulls up to the school.

"Yeah, yeah." I scowl at him. "We get it." We all pile out of the car and rush towards the entrance.

* * *

**Alright! sorry about the super short Peeta thing...that got boring quick...And I'm also sorry about the time switch...past tense is a bitch to write...ANYWAY! hope you liked it!**

**REVIEW PLZ!**


	6. Homecoming

**An: I'M SO SORRY! I HOPE YOU CAN FORGIVE ME! TO MAKE IT UP TO YOU I AM GOING TO WRITE THE DANCE IN FULL-ON EVERLARK. (I'm also going to write special chapters for Halloween, Christmas…etc…seeing as I missed those)**

…

Homecoming

…

The music is booming out of the school as we approach. Smatters of kids are lounging around the giant metal keys.

"Have fun!" Haymitch calls out as we trample over one another to get out the door.

"We will." I yell back, running to catch up with the girls.

This year's theme is 'glow-out' so of course there are concession stands selling glow sticks, bracelets and necklaces.

Annie squeals loudly – unnecessarily so, I might add – as Finnick wraps is arms around her middle.

"Let's bring the party to this dump!" He shouts, motioning to Gale, Gloss, Cashmere, Beetee and Wiress. I bite back an annoyed sigh as Peeta trails behind them, avoiding my eyes.

The tables of the cafeteria had been pushed aside to create room to dance. We grabbed a table to unload our purses and jackets before heading to the dance floor.

"Nice shoes." I turn to see Marvel smirking at my converse. I felt awkward under his gaze; as if he expected me to throw my arms around his neck and kiss him or something.

"Thanks." I muttered before clutching Madge's arm for dear life. She chuckles, sensing my hesitation to fulfill the affection he had asked for earlier that day. It was mere seconds before Glimmer grabbed his shoulder to lead him back to Cato and Clove. Surprisingly enough, I couldn't locate Delly, until I hear giggling from where Peeta stood. I turn my head to see her perfectly manicured hand circling his bicep, slowly stroking it.

"Eugh." Madge's face contorted with disgust. "It looks like she's trying to give his arm a hand-job!" she whispered in my ear, after saying which she burst out into a fit of giggles that turned both blonde's heads. I could help but laugh with her as Delly gave us a look of disdained annoyance.

"My thoughts exactly," I cupped my hand up to Madge's ear, partly to make myself head over the music but partly to let that bitch know we were talking shit about her. Her glare was satisfactory enough for Madge and I to walk away, still giggling with linked arms.

The walls are draped with neon banners and ribbons.

"How much time do you think it took them to do the décor?" Madge asks with a snort. "Five minutes?" she laughs harder. When our laughter subsides we make our way to where the rest of our friends have formed a circle for dancing. Glancing back I see Delly trying to lure Peeta to dance, along with him adamantly shaking his head and crossing his arms over his chest. I swear my heart has a spasm when his eyes glance up, meeting my own. I quickly shake my head and turn back to dancing with the others.

I don't want them to, but those blue eyes haunt me for the next thirty minutes. I try to get over the way his pale blue button-up stretched over his chest and arms. But I can't. UGH! This is going to drive me mad.

I lightly brush Madge's arm to tell her that I'll be in the hall getting some air. Boy do I need it.

As I step out into the hall the first thing I hear is an angry male voice.

"No! Delly, you just don't get it!" It roared from around the corner. I pressed myself against the wall to listen in.

"Then explain it to me Peety." A female voice cooed, I'm guessing it was Delly's. Isn't my power of deduction amazing?

"I don't have any feelings for you. I've told you this before!" He sounds frustrated.

"Not even a tiny little spark?" she asks, still trying to coerce him.

"No!" He shouts. "I love _Katniss_!" All is quiet.

"Fine!" Delly breaks the silence as she tears around the corner in a huff, her boobs falling out of her hot pink dress – which, by the way, barely reaches the top of her thighs.

The words stick in my brain.

_I love Katniss!_

I hear him give an annoyed huff as he rounds the corner, stopping short when he sees me wide eyed and gawking.

"K-Katniss?" he asks in astonishment. I lift my eyes to meet him. "How much of that did you hear?" hesitation covers his face.

"Enough." I murmur quietly.

"Oh god." He groans, running a shaking hand through his hair.

"You…You l-love me?" I question. My voice is barely audible but the way his cheeks redden tell me he heard me.

"You weren't supposed to hear that." He mutters, clearly embarrassed.

"That doesn't answer my question." I snap suddenly, before quickly retreating. His eyes meet mine; they're filled with sadness.

"Yes, I love you." He whispers. I fall against the wall at his confirmation. I try to grasp at any breath I can. Peeta rushes to my side as I slide into a sitting position. "Katniss? Talk to me." He brushes a strand of hair from my face, only then do I realize how close we are.

"I…" I trail off, not knowing how to respond. "I don't know." I finally whimper pathetically.

"Katniss?" Marvel's voice cuts though the moment like a knife. Behind him is a narrow eyed Madge.

"Kat. Are you okay?" Madge kneels beside me, opposite of Peeta.

"What'd you do?" I'm vaguely aware of Marvel shoving Peeta away from me.

"Stop it." I say, all three heads turn to me. I set my sights on Marvel. "I'm not your property, he didn't do anything." I mutter turning my head to Madge. "Let's go back in." I say as I pick myself up and head back to the cafeteria.

Getting back inside I see our group sitting at the table we'd chosen. Madge and I go and sit with them, not without receiving and ignoring several questioning looks.

…

The dance came to a close at eleven, thus came up the idea of 'crash at Katniss's house!' This idea, of course, was provided by none other than Finnick.

"Thanks Finn." I mutter as we begin to walk to my house from the school. Finnick smirks as a reply.

"Yo, Peet!" He calls over my shoulder. "You coming?" he asks, beckoning for Peeta to catch up.

"Thanks Finn." I parrot with about twice the sarcasm.

The walk home was full of girls complaining and taking of their heels along with boys half unbuttoning their tops.

"Dude, you're making us look bad!" Gloss whines, poking at the chest hair peeking from Gale's shirt. Finnick joins in the ribbing while Beetee stands by Wiress. I notice Peeta with his hands shoved in his pockets and his head down.

"So, Peeta," Madge began, Peeta snapped his head up with curious eyes. "what's with you and Delly?" Madge giggled. Peeta's eyes turned to annoyed in a split second.

"She – uh… likes me…" Peeta mumbled, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck.

"And you – uh…like her?" Madge asks, mimicking his reluctant tone. Peeta's eyes go wide as he shakes his head, denying her intentions. Madge leaves it alone for the rest of the walk. Haymitch and Effie are on a date night, not to mention that Prim's at a sleep-over with her friend Rue. Finnick claims the entire couch, which Johanna sits on him for.

"Come on, fat ass." I mutter, helping Johanna shove Finnick onto the floor. He grumbles incoherently and flops his arms against the hardwood of the ground.

"Quit it fish boy." Gale snaps, slapping Finn's hand away from him.

"Let's pop in a movie!" Madge suggests as she bounces over to the television and rifles through the collection that Effie and Prim had created over the year.

"NO CHICK FLICKS!" Finnick screams with half of his face still squished against the floor, so it comes out more of a "_NO CHICK FWICKS!_". The guys all nod in agreement as Madge puffs out a sigh of annoyance before tossing The Notebook back in the pile.

"Just put in Austin Powers." I grumble as I slump into the sofa with a content sigh. Madge gives in and puts in one of the many movies Haymitch and I had added to the collection. As the movie begins and someone turns off the lights I find myself chewing my already destroyed nails and sparing glances at Peeta, who always seems to be already looking at me.

Eventually the movie ends and it seems that everyone has shifted, a beanbag has been pulled in front of the television, of which everyone is sitting on. Limbs are tangled so badly you can't tell where one person ends and another begins. I suddenly feel a hand on my bare thigh.

"Madge?" I ask. "Are you touching my thigh?" I figure it's hers seeing as it's pale. That's when I notice how large and callused the hand is.

"No…"she trails off.

"Er, sorry." Peeta's voice comes through as he lifts his hand, but not soon enough for a jolt to spark straight to between my thighs.

"It's okay." I say quietly, tucking hair behind my ear. A few awkwardly silent moments pass before someone says something about sleep and everyone untangles to find a place to sleep.

…

September 30th 1:00 am

…

Water. It's the first thought that pops into my mind as my eyes flutter open to the dark room with the soft snoring of bodies on either side of me. I get up and tip-toe carefully through the mass of bodies. The kitchen light is on, which is odd. I push through the door and see Peeta with his back to me, leaning against the island, holding a glass of water.

"Hey." I grumble, voice scratchy and raw.

"Hi." He replies, turning to watch me as I grab a glass and begin to fill it.

"Couldn't sleep?" I ask after taking a few sips, the water as a balm to my sore throat.

"No…" he trails off, eyes focused on something distant out the window. "I'm sorry." He whispers after a few seconds of silence.

"For what?" I ask, running my finger around the brim of the glass, refusing to make eye-contact with him.

"For letting them change me." He hands his head and sets his glass on the counter before heading towards the door.

"Wait." The one word seems to freeze time as he slowly turns back to me. "As far as I can tell they didn't change you, they changed your shell. You're still sweet, caring Peeta. They've just covered you with a fake personality." The hope and wonder that shines through his eyes as I finish my Katniss-level-heart-felt-monologue seems to be bright enough to light the night sky. God have I missed those eyes.

"You really think that?" he asks that, a small smile lifting the sides of his lips. I nod mutely. He takes three strides over to me and has me pressed against the counter, hand on my cheek as he searches my eyes. Liking what he finds he rests his forehead against mine and closes his eyes.

"I missed you, Katniss." He breathes, his breath tickling my nose and leaving a tingling sensation. I lift my shaking hand to place it on his neck.

"I missed you too." As soon as I finish my sentence a mostly naked Finnick bursts into the kitchen. He's wearing nothing but his underwear as he strides through to the fridge, scratching himself and totally oblivious to Peeta and I, now standing side-by-side. Peeta stifles a laugh and glances at me once more before disappearing through the door.

"Hey Kitty!" Finnick mumbles sleepily. I turn from him and go through the door to the living room to squish myself between Madge and Annie.

…

September 30th 9:30 am

…

"Get the hell off of me!" Madge shrieks as I tickle her awake. Annie giggles as Madge blindly swats at me before giving up and getting out of her cocoon of blankets.

Everything between Peeta and I is weird since the events of last night, he blushes every time our eyes meet while I find it hard to look at him without my stomach flipping shit on me.

Maybe I missed him more than I thought I did.

**An: AGAIN! I'M SOOOOO SORRY! School and other shit has been kicking me in the ass…it hurts… :'(**


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